Iowa FFA Chapters Winners In National Contest

Sixteen Iowa FFA chapters have won state prizes in a national contest this year; Boone FFA earns top spot statewide in 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge.

Mar 20, 2012

Thousands of FFA members from hundreds of FFA chapters in 12 states have finished a huge effort to connect with local farmers, and 16 FFA chapters in Iowa have been named state winners.

The Boone A&M FFA Chapter from Boone in central Iowa received 551 votes from local farmers to earn to top honors statewide in the 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge (http://www.FFAChapterChallenge.com). The Boone County chapter will receive a $2,500 FFA Certificate of Credit good for FFA-related costs including chapter supplies, registration fees for national leadership conferences and other items.

Iowa FFA Chapters Winners In National Contest

The FFA Chapter Challenge, a second year program expanded to 12 states in 2012, challenged FFA members to meet farmers in their local communities to build relationships and learn about different agricultural careers. After meeting, FFA members encouraged the farmers to vote for their chapter online or over the phone.

Monsanto sponsors the FFA Chapter Challenge as a special project of the National FFA Foundation. "The mission of FFA goes beyond farming but its heart will always be in creating new generations of leaders who understand agriculture and small communities," says Linda Arnold, Monsanto customer outreach lead. "Monsanto is proud to partner with the National FFA Foundation to help local chapters create that bond with the people who grow our food and build our communities."

Voting for the 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge began Jan. 16 after expanding to 12 states this year, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. The campaign finished Feb. 29, with over 10,000 votes being cast nationally during the final week of competition.

The top FFA chapter in each of the 12 states received a $2,500 FFA Certificate of Credit, while chapters ranked second through tenth in each state receive credits worth between $1,000 and $2,000. Eighty other at-large chapters will get credits worth $1,000 in the campaign to bring FFA chapters closer to local farmers in their community.

The National FFA Foundation is the fundraising arm of National FFA Organization, which provides ag education to 540,379 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7,489 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Top 10 Iowa FFA Chapter Challenge Winners:

FFA Chapter (City, County, Prize)

Boone A&M FFA (Boone, Boone, $2,500)

Waukon FFA (Waukon, Allamakee, $2,000)

Western Dubuque FFA (Epworth Dubuque, $1,500)

Audubon FFA (Audubon, Audubon, $1,250)

Starmont FFA (Arlington, Fayette, $1,250)

Decorah FFA (Decorah, Winneshiek, $1,250)

North-Linn FFA (Troy Mills, Linn, $1,000)

Iowa Falls-Alden FFA (Iowa Falls, Hardin, $1,000)

Valley FFA (Elgin, Fayette, $1,000)

Muscatine FFA (Muscatine, Muscatine, $1,000)

At-Large Iowa FFA Chapter Challenge Winners:

FFA Chapter (City, County, Prize)

Cascade FFA (Cascade, Jones, $1,000)

Central Decatur FFA (Leon, Decatur, $1,000)

Creston FFA (Creston, Union, $1,000)

East Sac FFA (Lake View, Sac, $1,000)

Edgewood-Colesburg FFA (Edgewood, Clayton, $1,000)

Sumner Fredericksburg FFA (Sumner, Fayette, $1,000)

Two Iowa college students selected for International Ag Leadership Program

Two Iowa college students are among the 12 students nationwide selected for the 2012 International Collegiate Agricultural Leadership Program. The I-CAL program provides international experience in trade and marketing, and this year they'll get that experience in Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.

The students were required to complete an application and answer essay questions regarding their understanding and thoughts on international trade and marketing. They will travel to Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore May 19 to June 1 to study international grain marketing and trade and global agriculture.

The selected students are: Daniel Alvey, North Carolina State University; McKenzie Baecker, University of Wisconsin-River Falls; Breanne Brammer, University of Missouri-Columbia; Nellie Hill, Kansas State University; Karl Kearns, Iowa State University; Margery Magill, University of California-Davis; Bethany Markway, Missouri State University; Mathias Peterson, University of Minnesota; Bethany Olson, Iowa State University; Edward Silva, University of California-Davis; Shasta Sowers, Virginia Tech; and Sarah Warren, University of California-Davis.

During the program, they will visit many different agricultural operations, including grain inspecting facilities, fruit/vegetable production farms, livestock operations, and open air grain, meat and animal markets. The tours are designed to help the students- all who plan to pursue careers in the industry of agriculture- understand current international trade and cultural issues and gain awareness of how international markets for agricultural products operate.

The I-CAL program was developed as a partnership with the U.S. Grains Council and The Grains Foundation. These organizations seek to build global markets for American grains. Through their work, they also provide opportunities for others to learn about how the global marketplace affects American agriculture. Visit www.grains.org for more.